Senior Civil Engineer salary in Detroit, MI

Based on 22 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Dearborn, Novi, Farmington Hills, Wixom, Southfield.

Also listed as: Structural Engineer

Median salary$96,840
Middle 50%$94.7k–$106.3k
vs. all levels here+18%comparison median $82,000
Filings22FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $90,326 and $119,694.
PercentileSalary
10th$94,066
25th$94,746
50th (median)$96,840
75th$106,273
90th$111,678

Cost of living

Detroit's median senior Civil Engineer salary of $96,840 is worth about $96,600 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Detroit = 100.3).

Compared with all workers here

All Civil Engineers in the Detroit, MI area earned a median of $92,550 in May 2025 (3,870 employed). The H-1B median here is $96,840, 5% higher.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Dixon Construction Servicestoo few2
Fairway Engineeringtoo few2
Lakeshore Globaltoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $66,737 45
Mid-level · Level II $85,631 40
Senior · Level III $96,840 22
Expert · Level IV $119,652 12

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$62,379$66,73745
Mid-level · Level II$76,274$85,63140
Senior · Level III$90,147$96,84022
Expert · Level IV$108,514$119,65212

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.